Full Stack

David Pantera, Ryan Chandra, Garrett Clinton

Full Stack is a podcast recorded by students at the Stanford GSB. It's focused on how the next generation of entrepreneurs, builders, and investors think about technology, capital allocation, and creating value. - We explore the full capital stack — from allocators to operators — bringing you insights from the conversations happening at Stanford. - Join us for conversations about entrepreneurship, raising venture capital, and the full capital stack — from Stanford students. - Welcome to the Full Stack podcast, hosted by Ryan Chandra, Garrett Clinton, and David Pantera.

Episodes

  1. Sep 28

    Dropping out of Stanford GSB, choosing the right mentors, & the rise of FDEs | Full Stack Ep. 5

    What happens when three Stanford GSB students spend the summer at the frontier of AI, moonshots, and startups, and one of them decides not to come back? In Episode 5 of Full Stack, David, Garrett, and Ryan debrief their summers and the career decisions that came out of them. David explains why he decided to drop out of Stanford GSB after his first year to join Google DeepMind as a research PM working on world models and interactive media. He talks through the actual calculus behind leaving business school, why the decision was much harder emotionally than professionally, and why he still believes an MBA can be enormously valuable. The conversation also goes deep on world models, physical AI, robotics, and the idea of using simulated worlds as scalable training grounds for intelligent machines. Garrett shares what he learned working at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory, including how X thinks about 10x and 100x ideas, spinning moonshots into independent companies, and why choosing the right manager and mentors can matter more than choosing the “perfect” job. He also reflects on building a personal board of directors and the role relationships play in shaping a career. Ryan reflects on moving from investing into an operating role as a forward deployed engineer at Paragrin, what he learned from owning customer relationships in public safety, and why FDEs are becoming increasingly important as AI companies try to bridge the gap between powerful technology and real-world deployment. The three discuss ownership, customer empathy, the difference between investing and operating, and why the human layer may become even more valuable as more work gets automated. They close by reflecting on what business school is actually for: self-awareness, relationships, mentorship, experimentation, and figuring out what kind of career, and person, you want to build. Full Stack is a podcast about technology, startups, investing, AI, and the people building what comes next.

About

Full Stack is a podcast recorded by students at the Stanford GSB. It's focused on how the next generation of entrepreneurs, builders, and investors think about technology, capital allocation, and creating value. - We explore the full capital stack — from allocators to operators — bringing you insights from the conversations happening at Stanford. - Join us for conversations about entrepreneurship, raising venture capital, and the full capital stack — from Stanford students. - Welcome to the Full Stack podcast, hosted by Ryan Chandra, Garrett Clinton, and David Pantera.

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